


Hunger Of The Pine

by tashazapatterson



Category: UnREAL - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Kingsgold - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 03:28:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7784953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tashazapatterson/pseuds/tashazapatterson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This story is quite triggering so I advise against reading it if you are easily triggered but I hope you enjoy it.</p></blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is quite triggering so I advise against reading it if you are easily triggered but I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

She couldn't go back to her office. Not after what happened there. It was too hard to even think about. As her mum would call it: a trigger. Which is bullshit. It had been on her mind all day, and Rachel Goldberg knew it would haunt her nightmares.

Since this morning when she woke up in her office, clothes that were ripped off of her, scattered the floor messily, she had thought only one thing. 'It was my fault. I could've done something to stop it happening. Why didn't I kick harder.' She had considered going to Quinn for help, but then she remembered they were arguing, and that she probably wouldn't care anyway.

Rachel dragged her tired body off to the other side of the Everlasting set. Away from all the pretty buildings, with their pretty flowers and green green grass, where all the contestants stayed, and where Quinn's office was. She was back to her old van, where she stayed when she first came back to the show.

She took a glance around, looking into the darkness, suddenly getting the feeling that she was being watched. By the edge of the closest building to the lot, was a figure, but as she turned to face it, it darted off in the opposite directions.

 _Great. Now I won't be sleeping tonight._ Rachel thought to herself, as she yanked up the back door of the van as it made a loud crash when it hit the top. Dust had settled since she last slept there. A faint musty smell had gathered. And a mouldy smell too. Probably from an old half eaten pizza under the pile of metal that she called a bed.

_She opened the door to see her new boyfriend standing, smiling in the other side of the door. "Hey." It was late, past midnight anyway. She could see in his eyes that he was drunk. There was another expression on his face which gave her a strange feeling in her stomach, but she chose to ignore it as she smiled and opened the door for him._

_"Coleman!" She put on her cheery voice. All she wanted to do was sleep, but as not to offend him, she would play along. "What are you doing here?"_

_He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Am I not allowed to... Sssee my girrlfriend when I want to?" His voice was slurred and he was wobbly on his feet. Rachel knew then that she should have sent him on his way then and told him to come back when he was sober, yet she didn't._

_"Well... Of course. It's just late that's all." She smiled, as she went over to her sofa bed, taking a seat wirily on the edge._

_"I know. But I wanted to see you... I needed to see you." He had a hungry look in his eyes, it wasn't something she had seen before. Usually, when he spoke to her, he looked at her with so much love, but all that love was gone in this single gaze._

_"Oh, okay." She shuffled back on the bed, suddenly becoming alarmed. "Maybe- You should... Come back in the morning."_

_"I don't want to come back in the morning." He growled. "I want you now. That's what I'm going to get."  
_

_He lurched towards Rachel, a small squeal had barely passed her lips when he was on her. Her head knocked against the headboard making her vision go dizzy. She knew what was about to happen. She could feel it in the way he was unzipping his jeans, his hard on pushing against her thigh, yet she couldn't move. Rachel couldn't find the power to push him off. He was stronger than her and heavier than her, so eventually she gave up, letting him enter her and destroying any little piece of sanity that she had left. Gone._

Rachel cried out as she came too, covered in a thin layer of sweat. The overwhelming fear suddenly replaced by the knowledge that she was safe; that he wasn't hurting her, was too much and she felt herself rush to the back of the van, before chucking the door open and throwing up. Rachel was suddenly glad that she never undressed to go to sleep last night, which made her laugh because considering the circumstances, there were much better things that could make her laugh. _  
_

It was just starting to get light outside so Rachel knew that she didn't start work for hours but she knew somehow that there was no going back to sleep. She felt dirty, sweating in the night does nothing good for personal hygiene. She needed a shower... Badly.

The brunette turned back to grab her wash bag, but became aware that she didn't have it with her. She would have to find another way to wash. She knew exactly the place.

Rachel made her way over to Quinn's bunk, knowing she wouldn't be there because she saw her drive home in her car the night before, or so she thought. Although being on the set, Rachel never actually did any work the day after _it_ happened. She had wondered around, ignoring every request that was made for her, even when it was Quinn. Especially when it was Quinn. She had spent at least 2 hours sitting in the shower, the water had long gone cold. Being there after it happened was all fine, but when it came to going back there alone, she couldn't do it. 

As pissed as she was at her boss, she didn't want Quinn to see her like this. In such a state that she couldn't even keep her food down. Rachel couldn't even look at herself in the mirror. The entire day yesterday, she had had to wear her leather jacket, or long sleeves. The bruises that covered her arms and legs, were dark blues and purples and very obvious. It has taken a vast amount of foundation and concealer to attempt at covering the bruises on her face. The bust lip she blamed on walking into a door. Everyone was quick to believe because she was so damn clumsy.

Quinn's room was empty when she got there, just like she had presumed it would be. There wasn't a speck of dust in sight. Of course it was just like Quinn King to send in cleaners every hour, gotta live up to the name. Rachel stripped down, and climbed into the shower, completely avoiding looking at her body. She was concentrating so hard on not looking at herself, that she didn't even notice the fact that the water falling on her was ice cold.

The shower jell sitting on a stand in the shower looked expensive, it even smelled expensive. It smelled of Quinn.

She was dried and fully dressed, thank god, by the time she heard the door slide open and shut. There was a creak, and then no noise at all, as Quinn on the other side of the door suddenly noticed there was someone in her bathroom. She slowly crept up to the door, before yanking it open, not even surprised at who she found on the other side of the door.

"Ugh, Rachel what the hell do you think you're doing?" Quinn leant against the doorframe, one hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised. Rachel didn't turn to face her, anxious of the fact she hadn't had time to cover the bruises on her face. 

"Showering?" Her voice was small. This worried Quinn. Rachel was never one to turn away from her battles, especially when the damn battle was standing right in front of her.

"Don't you have your own shower?"

"I-" she took a deep breath. "I do."

"Then why where you in mine?"

"I-" Quinn cut her off before she had time to finish her sentence, barely even getting to start it.

"Miss Goldberg, look at me when I'm talking to you." Her head made no movement. Quinn walked up to her, twisting Rachel round so they were face to face, barely inches apart. Quinn paled, a short gasp escaped her mouth. She took a step back from her coworker. "Rachel what-?"

"Oh it's Rachel now? What happened to Miss Goldberg?"

"Oh please save it. Now's hardly the time for your bullshit."

"Do me a favour, Miss King, and stop acting like you actually give a shit." She pushed herself away from Quinn, tears springing free.

"Well, if that's how it's going to be, would you mind telling me whether you're actually going to do your job today, or am I going to have to cover your sorry ass _again_?" The pained expression was gone from her face, masked with one of which Rachel couldn't read.

"I'll... I'll do my job. Just, stay away from me so I can do it properly, okay?" With that the door slammed closed. It was only after she had gone, that Quinn realised Rachel was still wearing the same clothes she wore the day before, but she decided to make nothing of it.

 

****

 

It was only later when she saw Rachel go into that van for the second night in a row, that she decided it was time to say something. Quinn went back, after everyone else had gone. It was well into the early hours of the morning, when she approached the van. However, she wasn't expecting to hear anyone awake in there. She thought she could hear a muffled crying sound from a few meters away, but she was sure, by the time she got there.

Quinn didn't knock when she yanked open the door, but she was not expecting the sight she saw at all. It was horrible. Rachel didn't even notice her at first, which was what made it worse. She sat on the floor, there was a blade in her hand, that she was using to push into her opposite arm. The muffled crying noise was coming from her.

Quinn felt the blood rush from her head, sick at the sight. "Rach..." It barely came out a whisper.

The brunettes head whipped round to face her. She looked disgusted. Whether it was at herself for what she had done, or Quinn for witnessing something so private, she didn't know. She chucked the blade into the corner of the van, turning around to face the back, hiding her face from Quinn; hoping that if she couldn't see Quinn, Quinn wouldn't see her. "Get out." Her voice was scratchy. She heard her boss make no indication to move. "Get out." It was louder this time. When she still didn't leave, she whipped round to face Quinn, anger covering her face. "Get the fuck out Quinn!"

She stood up into the van, standing inches from the younger woman. "You can't talk to me like that, I'm your boss."

"oh we're pulling the rank card are we?" She scoffed. "You know what? Forget it, just go."

Quinn was speechless. Never before in her life had she seen something so horrible and... Selfish! "I can't leave you here Rachel."

"Yes. You can. Now go." Her boss stood rooted to she spot. "Fine!" She reached down, grabbing the blade from the flood, before storming over to Quinn. "Is this what you want? Take it!" She thrust the blade at Quinn, who cautiously retrieved it, holding it between two fingers like it was a smelly old sock.

Quinn shook her head. "How could you do this Rach? To yourself? To me?"

"To you?!" Rachel scoffed. "Of course, that is so you. Only you could make something like this about yourself." She turned away from her boss, scared that if she continued to look at her, she would do something she would regret.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "What is this Rach?" The hand slid down her forearm, resting above her elbow, above the exposed cuts. Rachel turned around to face her mentor, gently shucking her sleeve back down. "Oh no. Don't do that. Don't hide this like it is nothing." She paused briefly as if she was making a decision. "Come with me."

 


	2. Chapter 2

Quinn had led her over to her office and sat her down on her sofa. She had disappeared for a few minutes and in that time, Rachel had taken it upon herself the find the whiskey in Quinn's desk and had started to drink. She sat with her arms resting on her knees and her head bent over, the glass bottle hanging loosely from her grip. Quinn stood looking into her office. She had gone to find some gauze so she could attempt to clean up Rachel's arm. She wasn't even surprised at what she saw when she returned.

"Really Rachel, already?" She heard a small chuckle come from the girls lips, and couldn't help the tug at the corners of her own.

"What can I say I've had a shit couple of days."

Quinn sighed, sitting heavily on the sofa next to her. The effects of the long day starting to take a toll on her. "Should you be drinking... With the meds that you're on?" Rachel just looked over at her, staring blankly. But it scared Quinn. It didn't even look like Rachel was looking at her, more like through her. "Rachel..." She sighed. "

"Don't." 

"I was _going_  to say... Why are you doing this? Has it got that bad." Quinn felt oddly unlike herself when she laid her had on top of Rachel's.

"I don't- I don't want to talk about it."

Quinn thought that through for a few seconds before giving in. "Okay." She gently pulled on Rachel's hand, trying to roll the sleeve up on her leather jacket she had put on before she left her 'home' but she didn't manage. "Can I... Take this off?" Reluctantly Rachel shrugged as Quinn helped her to get it off letting it fall to the floor. Quinn gasped as the severity of the cuts, and took a peek at Rachel under her lashes. She was watching her, tears falling silently down her face. "Wait here." She went to her emergency stash of vodka, getting it to use to clean up the cuts. "This is probably going to hurt Rach."

"It's okay." Then Quinn remembered that she had done this to herself to cause pain, so she probably wouldn't care about more pain. 

Quinn poured a small amount of alcohol onto a bit of gauze, and gently pressed it against the cuts, but quickly withdrew when Rachel gasped. Before she could stop completely, Rachel grasped Quinn's hand, guiding it back to her wrist, not taking any care at all. "I'm okay," she said through gritted teeth.

The rest of the time was spent in silence. Quinn cleaning and dressing the cuts, and Rachel ignoring her piercing gaze. Rachel could see that Quinn had finished, but neither made a move to leave. "Quinn please don't tell anyone."

"hah! Who exactly do I have to tell?" She smiled at the young girl, getting one in return. "Ahh there we go! There's the Rachel I know and love!" Quinn's smile faltered when she realised what she said, but then realised she didn't care. Because it was the truth. She loved Rachel.

"I love you too Quinn." She looked at her boss from under her lashes. 

Quinn took Rachel's hands in her own, rubbing circles on her palm with her thumb. "Does that mean you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"I... I can't."

"Rachel. I can't fix this if you won't talk to me."

"Fix this? Quinn," she pulled her hands away, standing up. "I'm not a broken toy that needs fixing! I don't want to be fixed. Not by you."

"This again?" Quinn looked fed up, it was late and she had to be up for work in about four hours. 

"Sorry, I'm sorry." She sat back on the sofa. "I- I want to tell you. Really, I do, I just... Can't."

"It's okay. You know, if you were anyone else, I would have fired your ass years ago." 

"You would never fire me." She smiled at Quinn. 

"I know." She moved closer to Rachel. "Come here." She pulled her into a tight hug. A sob rippled through Rachel, but eventually she calmed down, turning into small hiccups. "You okay?" She moved her hair out her face to fine her eyes closed. She sighed, realising that this was probably the first time she had slept soundly for a while, so she kicked off her heels and pushed herself against the back of the sofa, lying down and pulling Rachel with her so they were practically spooning. As much as she would hate to admit it, she kind of liked it.

****

 

"Umm excuse me?" Quinn stirred, but didn't wake, instead she pulled the sleeping body in front of her closer to her own. "Miss Quinn- I mean, King?" Madison poked Quinn's shoulder, hoping to wake her up. 

Quinn sat bolt upright, her sudden movements waking Rachel as well. "What?" She looked wide eyed at the recently promoted assistant producer. "What do you want?" Her surroundings suddenly became aware to her then, as Rachel sat up with the same wide eyed expression. Madison looked down at Rachel's arm, even though it had been covered with a bandage, blood had seeped through and you could see very clearly what had happened. Quinn noticed this, suddenly standing up in front of Rachel, blocking the stupid girls vision. "Melanie get out my office now!"

"I- uh... It's Madison..." She said quietly.

"Do I look like I give a shit? Get the fuck out." She looked over Madison's shoulder to see Chet leaning against the door frame, a cocky expression plastered on his face.

Madison rushed out the room, but Chet stayed still. Quinn ignored him while she turned around to Rachel, "are you okay?" She nodded meekly. "Okay, go to your office, get yourself cleaned up, and come back here." Rachel looked up at her wide eyed with fear. 

"I... I can't go there."

"Why not?" Rachel's eyes flicked over to Chet then back to her. "Never mind." Quinn walked over to grab something off her desk. "Here are my keys, go to my room, have a shower, then come back." When Rachel stood up, Quinn pulled her into a hug, sincerely so she could whisper in her ear, "I need to change your dressing." 

Off all the things she would rather be whispering in her ear, it had to be that. She nodded before letting go, not being able to look her in the eyes, as she rushed out the office.

"So what's up with the little weirdo?"

"Don't start Chet. I have been here all night. I haven't showered and I haven't even had any coffee yet." Speaking of, she grabbed her Walkie off her desk. "Can _someone_ bring me some coffee!" Quinn picked up the bloody gauze that she had forgotten to bin the night before and shoved them in the trash.

"You were here _all_  night?" He grinned smugly. "With Rachel?"

"Not like that you giant ball sack. I was... Helping her."

"Helping her... Get off?"

"Chet!"

He held his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry, just... Curious that all."

"Well, there is nothing to be curious about. Okay?" She looked in the mirror as she straightened her dress, and combed her fingers through her hair, before giving up. She would have to shower at some point today.

Chet entered her office. "Sure, Quinn. Absolutely _nothing_ to be curious about.

 ****

 

Rachel had come to like using Quinn's shower. It smelled of her and as weird as that sounded, she kinda liked it. The feeling of her being in the room with her. She was still struck by the fact Quinn had taken her time to help her, when it was very late at night and then she stayed with her, the entire time. Even protecting her from the eyes of big mouth, who only seems to be able to keep her mouth shut when it's wrapped around her bosses cock.

Reality hit her then, as she realised that half the team would know of her problem by the afternoon, probably even Darius and the girls. They were never going to abide by her if they thought she was incapable of looking after herself, let alone anyone else. Show runner. Jeez, Quinn might as well demote her to assistants assistant right now. 

She let the tears flow.

Rachel never went back to Quinn's office, and as much as she knew this would piss her boss off, she couldn't handle facing her. Instead, she made her way over the editing room. 

"Ah! Rachel, there you are!" Coleman stood from where he was sitting, in _Quinn's_ chair. She smiled tightly at him, before reluctantly taking a seat next to him.

_Coleman stood from the bed, picking up his shirt, pulling it on. Rachel lay naked and bruised, facing the other way. She wondered whether Coleman had done this to other girls because he seems surprisingly calm. The bed creaked as a weight was added to it._

_The overgrown baby grabbed her by the chin, pulling her towards him, planting a sloppy kiss on her lips. "Goodnight my love."_

_"Don't call me that." Her voice was weak, barely audible._

_"I will call you whatever I damn well want." He grinned, before spitting in her face and shoving her away. "Now," he stood at the end of her sofa bed, his hands on his hips, blazer draped over his shoulder as if he hadn't just committed one of the worst kind of crimes. Rachel feared for a second that he wasn't done. "I suspect that you will want to go running back to Quinn, and you'll want to tell her everything. Accept that's not going to happen." He leant on the bed as Rachel shuffled back as far as her strength would let her._

_"I have some_ very _incriminating evidence, that could bring down this entire television show. And all you schemes and hurting would be stopped. Your precious little Quinn would be chucked in a prison cell and forgotten about, along with you and all her other little minions." He stood up straight, striding towards the door, so he could at least pretend he had any source of dignity left. "Oh, Rachel." He waited until she looked at him. "This also means_ _we're going to have to carry on this little charade. We will be the loveing power couple that people see us as. Don't screw this up Rach."_

_Dont screw this up Rach._

_"_ Rachel _."_ That sharp voice that Rachel had come to love pulled her from her thoughts. "Finally. Back on earth are we? I thought I told you to come see me after you showered in me-"

"I'm sorry!" The young woman cut her off, her eyes glancing viciously towards her 'boyfriend' who was busy watching the monitors. "I forgot." She turns around, going back to the screens, where Darius was currently wining and dining the girls. 

"Why don't we go now then."

Rachel looked over at Quinn, pasting on the expression she had gotten very good at using. As much as it pained her to push her away, it was what she needed to do, to save her business. To save her Quinn from a life in jail. "Sorry. Can't. Busy." Short and straight to the point, a bit like Quinn.

She saw the brief glimpse of pain flicker across Quinn's face, but was just as quickly back to her usual demeanour. The cold, manipulative bitch everyone knew her to be.


	3. Chapter 3

Over the course of the next few days, Rachel had tried to transform herself. And by transform, she meant she had practically become the carbon copy of Quinn. 

It was weird for everyone else to see her step up and take Quinn's place. But Quinn, she felt betrayed. Again. She needed to stop letting this stupid girl get to her. She thought they were getting somewhere that day in her office. She had made herself look _weak_ in front of people who worked for her. And then she turns around and gives her the silent treatment.

Rachel went everywhere with that stupid boyfriend of hers, she thinks just because she is sleeping with him and using him, she's eventually going to get a show of her own? That would never happen. Quinn has been doing that job for ten years and she was still learning, but Rachel thinks that what, three years of working together and she's all ready go alone.

Quinn wasn't usually one to eavesdrop, it was beneath her, but it was kind of hard not to in this case. She walked into the screen room, which was surprisingly empty. Only two figures sat watching the screens in front of them. Rachel and Coleman. _Yay._ Quinn was standing in the doorway and was about to make her presence known, when Coleman spoke up. "Yes!" He pointed at the screen where Darius was getting hot and heavy with one of the wifeys. "Hah! We did it!" He wrapped his arm around Rachel who pushed him away.

"There's no one here Coleman, you don't need to keep up the act." She stood up, walking closer to the screens.

"This again? Come on Rach just get over it already." He stood up afte her, walking up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them. Rachel whipped around to face him, taking a step back. She was facing the door, but it was dark, and she couldn't see Quinn standing there, who was feeling very confused.

"Don't touch me!" She all but screamed. She scoffed when she realised what he had said. "Get over it? You want me to get over it!?" She shoved at his chest, but Coleman barely moved an inch, he didn't even flinch. "Sure why not." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Quinn felt smug, and oddly proud at how well she had raised her. "Okay. Let's just pretend that you're _not_ sleeping with one of the contestants. Let's just _forget_ that you're blackmailing me into keeping my mouth shut about..-" her voice broke and tears sprung to her eyes. "About what you did... To me." 

This was a lot for Quinn to take in, it had definitely taken her by surprise. She cleared her throat making them aware she was there before stepping into the room. Coleman straightened up, taking a step away from Rachel's angry gaze. She stood watching them with confusion hopefully not written all over her face.

"How much of that did you hear?" Colemans voice was hard. 

Quinn thought about that for a second. "Hear? What are you talking about boy?" She could see the relief flow through him, as his shoulders slumped slightly. Taking a quick look at Rachel, she was sure she could see disappointment in her eyes. 

"Oh good." He grinned at them both. "I'm off now Rach, see you tomorrow." There was a forcefulness in his voice as he went to kiss her on the lips, but Rachel moved her head so he got her cheek instead. He pulled her into a hug, whispering something in her ear. She didn't hug him back.

Coleman left and they were alone. "Trouble in paridise?" 

"Something like that." Rachel took a seat at the back of the room, as far away from Quinn as she could get. Hey eyes we locked on the monitors, Quinn's eyes were locked on her. "What?"

"Nothing." She hadn't really taken her time to look at Rachel over the past week, but looking at her now she could see that she had bitten her nails right down. Her hair was uncleaned and she had a certain look in her eyes. One Quinn had seen before.

"Say it, Quinn."

"You're off your meds again aren't you?" Rachel didn't answer her at first, but then she slowly turned her gaze from the monitors to Quinn.

"I'm not crazy."

"I never said you were."

"Then why would you ask that?" Quinn didn't know how to answer that, so she didn't. "Like I said, I'm not crazy."

Neither of them spoke for at least ten minutes. They sat in silence, both of them staring at the monitors, not really focused on what actually going on. It was a comfortable silence however. "So what's up with you and that Booth guy?"

"Why do you care?"

"Is it serious?"

Quinn sighed, before twisting her chair round to look at the young girl. She had a glassy look in her eyes, but Quinn was positive she could detect a hint of jealousy, as she sat there studying her, her head tilted slightly to the side as she did so. "Honestly?" Rachel nodded slowly, making a mhmm sort of noise. "I don't know Rach. I mean, he's a nice guy and he's hot and... Really good in bed," that earned a chuckled from Rachel. "But it just feels like there is something missing. Ya know?"

"I know." Her voice was small, as she looked away from Quinn, very noticeably looking at anything else but her. Quinn had noticed her doing that. Rachel was a crier: a big one, if there was a day that went by when she hadn't cried, it would be a miracle. Most of the time, she would use it, to manipulate people; to get what she wanted. But when it came to Quinn, she would always look away, hiding her face as if they weren't there. As if she was ashamed at crying in front of her, or that she didn't want Quinn to think of her as weak. That was one thing that would never happen. Rachel was the strongest person she knew.

Quinn stood up, and for a second Rachel thought she was going to leave, but she walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, taking Rachel's hands in her own. "Talk to me Rach." She all but begged.

"I can't-"

"Why? Because that slimy douche is blackmailing you? If it helps, I wanted to punch him in the balls the entire time he was in the room." She chuckled slightly, but it broke off when Rachel slid her hands out of her grasp, hiding her face in her hands.

It took her a while but she finally looked at Quinn. "Why don't you hate me?" She saw the confused expression cross Rachel's face. "It's just... I've been a complete dick to you all week, I don't deserve you."

"I've not exactly been pleasant to you either Rachel. Listen, to me," she cupped Rachel's face in her hands, wiping away a stray tear with her thumb. "I understand why you did it, and I will be here to listen whenever you decide you want to talk. Okay?" Rachel nodded. "And, just for the record, I love you. I. Love. You. I couldn't hate you even if I wanted to."

Quinn felt her own hot tears sliding down her face, yet she didn't wipe them away. She wanted Rachel to see them, so she would know that Quinn isn't the stone cold, manipulative bitch that everyone thinks she is. So she would know that she has feelings too, and you don't have to be ashamed to show them. Rachel nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"I love you too."

****

 

It wasn't particularly late by the time Rachel left Quinn's office an hour later. Early enough for her to still call John. He answered sounding incredibly cheery. "Hey! I was just thinking about you."

Quinn smiled, "only good thoughts I hope."

"Oh the best." She smirked at his response.

"So I know it's probably too late to go to a restaurant, but do you want to go out for dinner. I feel bad for cancelling on you earlier" she had texted him when she was in her office with Rachel, telling him she wouldn't make it to dinner.

"Your friend needed you."

 _Friend_. Is that really all they were? A thought came into her head then that she didn't like _just_ being Rachel's friend. She wanted more than that, and that was a scary thought. "Quinn? You still there..?"

She shook her head, trying to shake away the feelings. "Yeah sorry just... Sorry, what did you say?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm- I'm fine."

John chuckled, "only if you're sure."

"I'm sure." She smiled at how kind he was, but that thought wouldn't leave her mind.

"So I said before, where do you want to go tonight?"

"Oh!" She thought about this for a second, "my house? You can come round and cook for me if you like?"

"Oh, well thank you for that incredible option." There was a brief pause, "I'll be there in ten."

****

 

A smile played on her lips the entire time she was leaving the set, walking towards her van. It was earlier than the end of her shift, but Quinn had given her the rest of the night off to go and get some rest, which for once she gladly accepted. Rachel had spent the past hour sitting with Quinn in her office, both of them drinking and talking and laughing. Something Rachel hadn't done in a while.

They had gone there so Quinn could redress her cuts, and she had been disappointed to find that Rachel hadn't been taking care of them properly, but after that they had decided to get the alcohol out of Quinn's secret stash, which Quinn was surprised to find out that Rachel knew about it. "Oh please," she had chuckled, "where do you think it disappears to so quickly?" A smirk played on her mouth, as she thought back to this.

Somewhere during their conversation, Rachel had promised Quinn that they would talk about it sometime soon, but she just had a few things to figure out. What those things were she had no idea.

Rachel had a feeling she was finally going to get a good nights sleep tonight, even if it was in her shabby little van on a pile of metal.

Quinn had made her promise that she would go back to her office and sleep there, but that was one thing she wasn't willing to do just yet.

The nice thoughts quickly slipped away when she froze, in the lot, parked as close to her van as it could get was a very expensive looking Porsche. Coleman's very expensive looking Porsche. Those nice thoughts were suddenly filled with his voice in her ear as he was leaving earlie. 

 _'You tell Quinn, I tell on Quinn_.'

She was about to turn around and walk back the way she came, when she heard his voice. "There you are!" He staggered towards her from where he was hiding in the shadows of her van. "I have been waiting for you, for... Ages!" His voice was loud, as it carried out across the lot. She was hoping that if things got bad, she would be able to scream and she would be heard.

There was a voice in her head saying that no matter how things went, it was going to end badly anyway. "Here I am, sorry." She skirted round him, half running towards the van. He grabbed her wrist before she could get there.

"Where do you think you're going?" He pulled them both down into the shadows by the van, where he had been hiding just moments before.

"Please don't." Rachel begged, as she struggled to escape his grip.

"Don't what? Punish you for letting that bitch hear you earlier?" Coleman's voice was dangerously low, almost a whisper.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about Quinn like that." Rachel's voice sounded just as harsh, and it surprised them both, but he recovered quickly. He wrapped his fingers round her throat, so tight she couldn't breath.

"Was I not clear enough when I said tell no one?" Rachel tried to shake her head, but his grip was so strong she couldn't move. Her head was getting cloudy, as she tried scratching at his fingers, but just ended up scratching her neck instead. She eventually got a grip on his wrist, using it to pull herself up enough to knee him in the dick, knowing it would hurt like a bitch.

She tried to run away, calling out for help, but her mouth made no noise, and the lack of oxygen before had made her slow and lagging. "You little bitch!" He grabbed her, pulling her to him, and as they say the rest is history, right? 

Well... That was until he knocked her out.


	4. Chapter 4

Quinn sighed dramatically when her phone started buzzing for what was quite possibly the seventeenth time. She had promised herself at the beginning of her night with John that the only person she would answer the phone to was Rachel. None of those calls had been from her though, in fact, all of them came from one other person.

Chet.

Quinn was lying naked in her bed, John lying behind her, kissing her neck. She was starting to get worried, what if something had happened to her and that's why she hadn't called. 

It started ringing again. "Wow, they're really impatient over there." John sighed. 

"I'm just going to answer it." She reached for her phone, but he reached over her snatching it up before she had the chance. He then dunked it in glass of water on his bedside table. 

"There we go. Much better." The ringing had gone. 

"John," she rolled over to face him, looking up at his eyes. He looked down at her with an amused expression on his face.

"sorry, Quinn but you promised me I could have you all to myself, and if you answer that phone, there is a high probability that they will be calling you in."

"That's because it's my job. I can't just not go in." She rolled over, starting to climb out of her bed, dragging the sheet with her to cover herself. He circled his finger round her wrist, softly trying to pull her back into the bed.

"Please Quinn. Stay with me." He pleaded with his eyes. She didn't know what it was, but something about the way he was looking at her, begging for her to stay with him, it kind of made him look pathetic. She broke eye contact with him, to glance at her phone in the glass on the night, which was ringing. John looked shocked before laughing.

"Oh yeah, it does that." She could see through the glass, that the caller ID said 'Rachel.'

 _Rachel_. 

"Shit John. Pass it to me." He saw the look in her eyes as he quickly went to retrieve it. She swiped to answer as soon as the phone was in her hand. "Rachel," she breathed out, trying hard to fight the smile from playing on her lips.

"Not Rachel." The voice was familiar, one she had found sexy and intriguing for a wasted eight years of her life.

"Chet? Why do you have Rachel's phone?" 

"You weren't answering yours."

"There was a reaso-" she didn't even get to finish what she was saying before he had interrupted her.

"Look. I don't know what you're playing at but you need to get your ass here right now." This pissed Quinn off big time. She turned, sitting on the edge of the bed facing away from John. She didn't like being told what she should or shouldn't be doing, especially not by Chet.

"Oh yeah? And why should I do that?" She heard a sad sigh from the other end. "Chet..?" She finally caught on. Her voice cracked as she spoke next, "Chet, where is Rachel?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone which seemed to drag on for a lifetime. "I can't talk about this on the phone, you just- get back here as soon as you can. I'm not joking around here Quinn."

She was out of bed and dressed before John even had chance to ask what was wrong. She chucked her door key at him, telling him to make some coffee and to lock up on the way out. He smiled as he thought for a second that she was was giving him a key. But that smile disappeared when she told him to just drop it off to her later if he could.

Quinn had taken no time in what she was wearing. She wasn't even sure her shoes matched, the light in her car made them look slightly different colours. She sat twirling her thumbs, the ten minute car journey seeming to take a lot longer. "Do you think you could go a bit faster." She spat at her driver, who just shook his head at him. She didn't blame him, she would rather make it there slowly, than not at all.

When she got there, Chet was pacing up and down the front steps at the entrance. Her door was open before the car had even stopped. "Chet!" She called out, catching his and a lot of of the crews attention. "What the hell is going on?" Looking around, everyone seemed to be in a panic, or maybe that was just her. 

"We've been two show runners down for nearly eight hours. This is the consequences." He walked up the steps, not answering her actual question. Quinn followed behind him, leading her towards the office block. She ignored looking at people as they passed. She knew she looked like shit, she wasn't even wearing make up. Quinn didn't like the sound of what he had said before, _two show runners down._ He made it sound like she was dead.

 _Oh god_.

"Wait." She grabbed hold of Chet's arm. 

He looked at her expectantly. "Is she dead?" His expression softened. 

"No Quinn. She's not dead."

She felt like there was an elastic band inside of her, and ever since that call nearly twenty minutes ago, it had been pulled tighter and tighter. That revelation was like it had been let go. Relief flooding her body. "Thank god."

They stopped outside a door, Quinn's bunker. "I have to warn you, it looks worse that it is." She didn't have time to questions what it was, before he opened her door, leading her into the room, swiftly shutting the door behind them. 

She gasped at the sight, which was terrible. "Oh Rach." It was barely a whisper. Her face was like it was the week before. Bruised, beaten... Broken. She pulled a chair up next to her, as close to the bed as she could without disturbing her. "Rachel," it came out as a sigh. She reached over, brushing some hair away from her face. She had expected her to wake up, but even after saying her name a few times she didn't wake.

she turned to Chet, "why isn't she waking up?!" 

"The doctor came in a few hours ago. Said she had a concussion, and she would be out for a while. Nothing to worry about though."

"Noth- Nothing to worry about! Have you seen the state of her. Who did this?! Why the fuck isn't she in the hospital!" She had tried not shouting, but her panicking had got the best of her. "I want her taken to the hospital and I want the bastared who did this f-" she stopped dead, finally putting the pieces together. "We can't take her to the hospital, can we?" Her voice was deadly quiet. 

"Where is he? Tell me where he is so I can find him and rip his balls off. I swear to God Coleman is a dead man." She had stood up, raging. Chet just let her. "Oh my god. How come I didn't see this before. In the screen room last night. He was blackmailing her and I let her go back to her office alone! I should have known!" She was pacing, pulling at her hair, she was so angry she didn't hear the tinny voice coming from her bed but Chet did.

"Quinn."

"I'm going to kill him when I-"

"Quinn!" He grabbed gently her by the upper arms forcing her to look at him.

"What!" He nodded in the direction of the bed and Quinn whipped around to find brown eyes staring at her. "Rachel!" She wriggles out of Chet's grip, rushing towards her. "Oh Rachel." Her voice was softer this time. She took her seat again: she was as close to Rachel as humanly possible. "How are you feeling?" 

"Like I got hit by a bus, then run over by a train." She chuckled half heartedly, wincing as a cut she had on her face stretched out across her cheekbone. 

"Oh Rachel." Quinn reached out to her, placing her hand gently on her cheek, ghosting her thumb along the cut. Rachel noticed tears appear in Quinn's dark green eyes. She loved looking at her eyes, they were beautiful, especially when she was smiling, but when she was crying, it made her feel incredibly sad. Crying wasn't something that Quinn did very often, in public anyway. 

Rachel reached a hand up, placing it over Quinn's and lacing their fingers together as she leaned into her touch. "Hey," she placed Quinn's fingers on her lips, and Quinn felt herself closing her eyes, wanting to savour the moment. "What's the matter?" Rachel finally asked.

"I'm so sorry Rach." She leant her head down on the bed, still looking at her, one arm stretched out above Rachel's head, the other hand entangled with Rachel's in between their faces, which were only inches apart. Quinn had to admit then that, that wasn't the only time she had wanted to close the distance between their lips. 

"There is nothing for you to be sorry for Quinn." Rachel brings her sore hand up, resting it on Quinn's cheek, brushing her thumb over her lips. She could feel her warm breath on her skin and it made he entire body tingle.

"Yes there is." She so softly kisses Rachel's finger without even realising that she is doing it. "I shouldn't have left you alone last night, as your boss and- as your friend. After everything I heard between you too I should have been more cautious."

Both of them had forgotten Chet standing by the door, now feeling very awkward at listening in on such a private conversation. "I'm just going to go." 

"Chet," he paused with his hand on the door handle. "Thank you, for... Helping me."

He smiled briefly. "Don't mention it." Then he was gone.

Quinn hadn't taken her eyes off Rachel the whole time they had been lying there. "You're staring." He lips curved up slightly at the ends. 

"I am."

"Why?" She peeked one eye open to look at Quinn. 

"So," she took a deep breath before saying what she wanted to say. "Last night, when I was with John... All I could think about was you. And I had this horrible feeling that something was wrong." She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall onto her face. "When Chet called me this morning, I could only think the worst... I thought you...-"

"Quinn. I'm alive okay." She pulled her in to an embrace. "It's not like there was anything you could have done either. He was pissed, and bound to snap at some point."

Quinn pulled away from her, sitting up in her chair. "Are you seriously trying to justify his actions?"

Rachel looked horrified at that thought. "No! I'm just saying that you shouldn't blame yourself. If it wasn't last night, it would have been tonight, or tomorrow night... I'm just glad someone found me."

Quinn glanced down at Rachel's lips while she had her eyes closed, or so she thought, but then her eyes got drawn down to her neck, there was four long scratches with a gap in the middle of each line, where Rachel had been clawing at his hands. It was surrounded by purple and blue splotches. Before she knew what she was doing, Quinn was tracing the lines on her neck. Rachel jumped a little at the contact. 

Quinn smiled at he meekly. "Sorry." Her hand moves her from her neck, sliding up behind her head, tangling her fingers in her hair. Right then she didn't care that it was unwashed. "I should've been there to protect you Rach." 

"What were you going to do, follow me back to my van and then jump him in the hopes that your 5'2" body took him down?" She chuckled, trying to ignore the pain in her chest as she did so.

Quinn snorted, "hah no I-" she stopped, sitting up. Rachel looked up at her alarmed. "I thought you were going back to your office? Rach! You promised me!" Rachel knew what she was thinking then. Maybe if she had listened to Quinn she wouldn't have been hurt. She would have been able to lock the door; she would've been safe. Yet she couldn't.

"I couldn't go in- I... I can't go in there."

"Rach? What happened?"

"that was where he uh... Last week I-" a sob escaped her chest, erupting into more.

"Rachel. You're scaring me."

She took a deep breath, the cold air stinging her damaged throat. "Last week... Coleman, he raped me... In my office." 

Quinn felt her entire body go cold. She stood up, trying to contain her rage so she didn't end up breaking her entire room. "Quinn?" She faced away from her, holding her hand up to her face as if to fend away the tears. "Qui-" her voice broke, and she was instantly by Rachel's side. "I'm so sorry I should've-"

"No." Her voice was cool, authoritative. "You do _not_ blame this on yourself do you hear me?" The tears kept coming, and Quinn didn't know how to stop them. He had violated the only person she cares about. "I'm going to kill that slimy son of a bitch." Her voice was full of malice, and she straightened up. She turned to go, but she stopped when she felt Rachel's fingers circle round her wrist. 

"Stay with me. Please." The tears in her eyes, and the love that she is looking at Quinn with is what persuaded her to stay. She nodded, as she went to sit back in her chair, but Rachel shuffed over, patting the space in front of her. Without any reluctance at all, Quinn climbed into the bed with Rachel.

"I guess I could always kill him tomorrow." Rachel snorted, making Quinn laugh along with her.

"Thank you." Rachel said after a while. They lay in the bed, their bodies curled around each other as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Quinn wrapped one arm around her, pulling Rachel flush against her body, while trying not to hurt her. Her other hand was stroking Rachel's hair.

"What are friend for ay?" She placed a soft, affectionate kiss on her cheek, before leaning her forehead on Rachel's.

****

 

Chet returned to the room a few hours later, the door was still shut tight as if no one had been in or out the entire time. He quietly opened the door, smiling at the cute sight. They were both asleep with a small smile on their faces. Rachel had her head rested on Quinn's chest and their legs were entangled. Rachel had a tight grip on Quinn's shirt as if she was scared to let go. 

It made him sad to see how much love Quinn had for the girl. He could tell she loved Rachel more than she had ever loved him. She was asleep and it still showed.

He quietly exited the room, leaving them to sleep. 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Quinn didn't need to open her eyes to know that Rachel's eyes were on her. She felt her lips tug up at the corners. "You're staring." She repeated the words Rachel had said to her just hours before.

"I am."

"Why?" Quinn opened her eyes to find Rachel's face surprisingly close to her own, yet she was even more surprised that she didn't mind.

"Because..." Rachel had no idea what to say, why was she staring at Quinn? Because she was close enough to breath the same air? Because she had a face she could stare at all day. "You're beautiful?"

Quinn chuckled. "Is that a question!" She brought her hand up, laying it against her Rachel's cheek. Rachel layed her own hand on top of hers. Quinn couldn't help but look at the bruises on her wrist, and up her arm. It only occurred to Quinn then that Rachel was wearing one of Quinn's thin blouses that was usually kept in her dresser. Her gaze accidentally wandered down, resting briefly on Rachel's chest, but her eyes shot back up as she realised what she was doing.

"Its definitely not a question." Rachel smiled, holding in her laugh at Quinn's face, not letting her know she had been caught. Rachel leant her head into the warmth of Quinn's hand. "So, what's going to happen to C-him?" She couldn't even bare the thought of saying his name. Quinn's eyes shifted to hers. 

"I don't know yet. I haven't left the room, and no one has been in." She slipped her hand off Rachel's face, resting her elbow in the bed, leaning her chin in her hand. 

Rachel mirrored her position, not even realising she was doing it. Quinn did. "You've been here the whole time?" Quinn nodded. "So you didn't leave even once."

"Not once." Rachel smiled at her, not even the pain in her chest, or on her face could ruin the moment between them. Her face expression said everything Quinn needed to know. "How did you sleep?" The hand that wasn't propping up Quinn's head, moved to Rachel's arm. She stroked circles with her thumb over one if the bruises.

"Well... Surprisingly. Better than in a long time actually." 

"You must have just been really tired." Quinn joked.

"I could think of another reason." She didn't need to say it to know they were both thinking the same thing; Because she had fallen asleep in the arms of the person she trusted most in the world. 

Quinn removed her hand, not quite knowing what to do with it once she had. Rachel could see that Quinn had become uncomfortable with the topic of conversation, so she rolled onto her back, breaking eye contact with her. They both knew that that was a conversation they both needed to have, but right now wasn't the right time. 

"Whats the time?" Rachel's eyes flicked to Quinn before looking back at a spot on the ceiling. The older woman sat up so she was kneeling in the bed, pulling her skirt down so it covered at least half her thighs, ignoring the look she got from Rachel. Quinn reached into her bra, pulling out her phone, earning a perculiar look from the younger woman.

"What?" She laughed, ease settling back on the conversation, to both their relief as it had just started to get awkward. "I didn't have time this morning to find a bag to put it in, it's not like you gave me much notice Goldie," she nudged Rachel with her knee.

"Oh, I'm so sorry _Ms King_ , next time I'll be sure to ask him to leave it a few hours before he attacks me so _you_ have time to grab a bag."

She saw Quinn's smile falter, "I'm hoping there won't be a next time actually." 

Rachel sighed, "yeah, that was probably a wrong choice of words." 

"Ya think?" They both chuckled. Rachel tried to sit up, but the pain in her stomach was preventing her to do so. Quinn could see she was struggling so she hooked an arm round her waist, sitting her upright against the headboard. 

Quinn climbed off the bed, sitting on the chair next to it, suddenly remembering why she had gotten her phone out in the first place. She sat bolt upright when she realised they had been asleep for at least six hours. "Shit, Rach." She stood up, slipping her feet into her heels which were indeed different shades of navy blue. "I should probably go and do some work, God only knows what Chet has going on out there." She patted Rachel's shoulder before rushing towards the door.

Quinn had her hand on the door handle before Rachel called her back. "Hey, Quinn?"

She turned back, suddenly feeling guilty for just getting up and to leave without an actual goodbye. She took her hand off the door handle, walking back to the bed. "Sorry," she smiled meekly, surprising Rachel because Quinn would usually never apologise for anything. She must look really bad.

"I know you said before that you didn't know but... What do you think will happen to him..." She took a deep breath. "To Coleman." She knew she didn't have to say his name, but doing so felt like a great weight had lifted off her shoulders.

Quinn sat back down, taking Rachel's hand in her own. "Honestly, I have no idea. But I know one thing."

"What's that?"

"We're going to take him down. But this means..." She paused, studying Rachel's face for any sign of feeling uncomfortable, "you're going to need to tell me everything. Like why you kept this quiet, like why he was blackmailing you. Everything."

So she did. Quinn pulled her legs up onto the chair, tucking her feet under her. Rachel told her everything that happened. Starting from when Coleman had turned up at her door of her office that night last week. How she had overheard him a few days later talking to Yael, which turned out she was a reporter looking for evidence to get everlasting shut down. Then how Jeremy was brought into their conversation. They wanted to use him to back up what they found. 

Quinn gave her time to tell her everything. She knew it was hard for Rachel to say her feelings out loud, so she only interrupted her to ask questions here and there, like 'what evidence they had exactly' or whether Jeremy had said anything or not. She was constantly wiping away her tears until Quinn had to tell her to stop, that it was okay for her to cry, and so she had. Sometime during their conversation, Quinn had made her way from the chair up into the bed, Rachel's head resting on her chest. The covers had been pushed down, Rachel's bruised legs curled up, her knee pressing into Quinn's bare thigh, where her skirt had ridden up.

Rachel had built up a wall around herself all week, but now she was finally opening the floodgates. She had gripped onto Quinn's shirt, sobbing silently into her shoulder. She could feel her shoulder dampening, but at that moment she didn't care. 

They sat in silence, Quinn taking still trying to take in everything that Rachel had just told her. After a long while, she felt Rachel's sobs subside, as she stroked her hair back from her face. "Are you okay?" She mumbled into her hair.

"I... I don't know... Maybe, in time. But not now." She felt Quinn nod, her smaller body moving beneath her. Quinn tightened her muscular arms around her, feeling the need to protect the younger girl. 

"Quinn?" Rachel broke the silence after a while.

"Mhm?"

"I thought you had to leave?" She chuckled. 

"I did... I do." She sighed, hot breath over Rachel's neck. Quinn ignored the shiver that came from the younger girl.

"Can... Can I come with you? Just to your office or... Something?" She craned her neck round to study Quinn's reaction. "Please?" She begged when she saw the doubt across her face. "No offence, as much as I love being in your bed, I don't think I can stand being in here doing nothing, all day." Quinn snorted, before pulling herself up off the bed again, tugging Rachel with her. She climbed off the bed, twisting the younger girl so her legs were dangling off the side. "So is that a yes?"

"I... Okay." Quinn huffed, "you can come but you will be in my office okay?" Rachel nodded eagerly, wincing at the pain in her neck as she did so.

Quinn looked down at Rachel's 'outfit.' Which consisted of her own blouse, and a pair of silk shorts she kept in her dresser, cringing as she realised that Rachel wouldn't have been able to change herself so someone must have dressed her while she was unconscious. As if thinking the same thing Rachel looked down at herself, blushing. "I think maybe... I should clean up first."

"Yes. I think you should."she stood staring at Rachel, waiting for her to move.  

"Quinn?" She looked at Rachel expectantly. After a brief pause she asked, "Can you help me?"

"Help you..? As in-"

Rachel looked away, "shower," she sighed. "Yes Quinn, can you help me shower?" Her voice was quiet, a shadow had fallen across her forehead, her face masked with shame.

"I shouldn't-"

"Please Quinn. I can still feel him... On me. His skin..." She quivered. "I can... Please." She still didn't meet Quinn's gaze, but she could feel her eyes on her, relentless. 

"Yes." She sighed after a moment of thought. "I'll help you... Shower."

****

 

"I can't believe you are going to leave me in here alone _all_ day." Rachel huffed, putting on the dramatics. A slow smile made its way across Quinn's face. 

"No. Rachel." She chuckled. "You asked to come and sit in my office because you didn't want to be in bed _all_ day. I'll come and check on you in a few hours, okay?"

"Ugh fine." She head Quinn snort before the sound of the door closing behind her. 

Rachel was currently sitting in Quinn's office, becoming more aware by the second how uncomfortable her chairs were, suddenly getting the feeling that they were more for show than any other purpose. 

Quinn had helped her shower, holding up a towel in front of her face the entire time. They had placed a chair in the shower for Rachel to sit on, so she didn't have to stand, risking falling over. It was an odd experience for both of them. Quinn being in the same room as Rachel while she showered and Rachel showering while Quinn was in the room. However, it was something they had both silently agreed to never talk about.

Rachel sighed, flicking her feet up onto the table in front her her, knowing Quinn would kill her if she saw. She rested the laptop, that Quinn had left for her, on her lap and settled in for a long, boring day.

****

 

As Quinn left her office, she spotted Madison shuffling around, not actually doing anything helpful. "Madison!" She looked up at Quinn, fear covering her face. After what happened between her and Chet, Quinn wasn't surprised. "What are you doing?" 

"Uh... Nothi-"

"Good." Quinn plastered a fake smile on her face. "You will stand here, outside my office door, until I return. Is that clear?"

She shook her head yes, "of- yeah- uh... Why?"

The smile was gone. "Did I tell you to ask me questions? Mmm. No. If I come back and you're not here, you're fired."

"Uh. Yes Mrs- I mean Miss Kin- Ma'am." She planted herself in front of the door, pushing her shoulders back as if she was some kind of soldier. Quinn rolled her eyes, stalking away from her.

It didn't take her long to find who she was looking for. "Chet. We need to talk." He looked up from the screen he was watching. Darius wasn't on it but she did notice Tiffany, in her room giving the camera a strip tease. He quickly turned the screen off, jumping to his feet as Quinn rolled her eyes. 

"Yes. We do." He gave her a knowing look, suddenly feeling grateful that they were the only people in the room. 

So they talked; Quinn told him everything that Rachel had told her, well except for the sensitive parts because she didn't want to betray her trust. Chet was silent for a moment, not giving Quinn any helpful 'words of wisdom.' 

"Chet." Quinn broke the silence. He lifted his eyes to meet hers, and for a second she remembered why she had fallen in love with him all this years ago. But that feeling was smothered by guilt, remembering that she was there for Rachel; that she is the only person Quinn should be thinking about. She broke his gaze, turning her back on him and wringing her hands together. "What are we going to do about that rotten scum shit?"

"I-"

"He's in the hole now right?"

"Yes, he is. But Quinn... What is there we can do? If we go to the police about this, then he will tell them _everything_. You know what he has on us." He walked up behind her, resting a heavy, clammy hand on her bare shoulder. She shook him off.

"We find it!" She whipped around, an idea forming in her mind.

"What are you-"

"No Chet. Listen. Rachel said that they have evidence, if we find this evidence that him and hot Ra- Yael supposedly have, we destroy it. But she's a reporter, so she probably has back up drives hidden in every country. Damn it!" She was talking to herself now, "But still, we find what they have here, and we destroy it in the hopes that it is all they have. If they don't have any evidence, they don't have a story."

"Quinn." He gripped her shoulders, shaking her to get her attention. "That is crazy. There's no way we will find all this 'evidence' Before the end of the season."

The strong mask covering her face broke, "we have to try." Chet could see the desperation in her eyes. He nodded slightly. 

"Okay. So we have four days." He nodded, as if thinking it through. Quinn cleared her throat, looking at his hands in her arms, which he quickly released. 

"Four days."

"And if we don't do this-"

"We lose everything."

****

 

Quinn went back to her office, making a mental note as she reached her door to fire Madison next time she saw her. She opened the door, as Rachel called out, "Jesus Christ Madison, you better have my damn burrito in your hand because I'm pretty sure I just died of starvati- Oh!" She jumped, realising who was actually standing behind her. "Still no burrito then?" She half smiled, turning back to the game of solitaire she was playing on Quinn's laptop.

"Hungry?" Quinn leant on the back of the Rachel's chair. Just as she said that, Rachel's stomach growled at her. Quinn snorted, as Rachel slammed the screen down, taking her feet off the table in front of her and replacing the space with the laptop.

"I'm actually just really bored... And hungry. But mostly bored." She twisted her head to look at Quinn, not even flinching at how close they suddenly were. If she wanted to she could easily lean forward and kiss Quinn. 

Quinn rolled her eyes, standing up straighter, one hand on her hip, the other still resting on the chair. "And what do you propose you do? I mean, because you're in such a _fit_ state to do _anything_."

It was Rachel's turn to roll her eyes then, "I'm perfectly _fit_!"

"Mhm." 

"Okay. Fine, take me to the screen room?" When Quinn said nothing, she put her hands together in a begging gesture. "Please Quinn... Pleeeease." She fluttered her eyelashes at her boss, a knowing smirk on her lips.

"Ugh." Quinn tucker her arm round Rachel's waist, helping her to her feet. "Just so you know. I'm doing this out the goodness of my heart." Rachel snorted beside her, "and _flattery,_ gets you nowhere darling." 

Quinn planted her in her chair in the screen room. They had both ignored the looks they got on the way. They weren't the only people in the room; Jay sat behind her, and just she sat down, Madison shuffled into the room, looking flustered. In one hand was a cup of coffee, in the other hand was a burrito. "Ah Madison! That coffee better be for me!" She held out both hands, taking the burrito, but Quinn took the coffee before she could grab it herself.

"Mmm, long day. Sorry." She looked smug.

"That was my coffee!"

"It was actually my-" Madison stopped when both Rachel and Quinn turned to look at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want this?" Quinn said, her voice dripping with sarcasm when she turned back to Rachel.

"Oh no," she smiled sweetly at the older woman. "Don't you worry Quinn... I'll just go and get myself one." She made to stand up, but was stopped when a firm hand came down on her shoulder.

"You won't be going anywhere."

"Try and stop me." Her smile was replaced with a smug look.

"If you move out this chair, the next time you sit in it," she leant forward a hand in each arm rest. "I will handcuff you to it."

"I-... You..." Quinn smirked at the effect that had on the younger girl. "Quinn, why do you own handcu- actually... Never mind I don't want to know." Rachel leant back in the chair, holding eye contact with Quinn as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Quinn leant forward, her lips inches from Rachel's ear, speaking so only Rachel would hear. "I don't think you could handle that if I did tell you." She smirked as she stood up, straightening her skirt and ignoring the gawping from the onlookers. 

"Uh..." Rachel breathed, trying to keep her cool in front of all the other crew members there, but it was hard when all she could think about was Quinn's hot breath on her throat, and the close proximity of their lips. It was the second time in a matter of minutes that she had found herself wanting to just turn her head and see what happens. Yet, still she didn't. She straightened up, smoothing the crinkles out of her skirt before walking towards the door to leave, gently punching Rachel on the shoulder as she passed.

"Shit!" Rachel 'cried' grabbing hold of her arm, bending over in mock pain. "Mmm," she moaned, continuing her charade.

"Oh my God, holy crap." Quinn doubled back, crouching in front of Rachel's chair, all humor gone from her face. "I'm so sorry. Rach, look at me." She put a hand on her knee, trying to sooth her, but only realised when Rachel slowly looked up to meet her gaze, that the shakes coming from her body was not sobs but in fact laughter.

"Got ya." A sly grin crept across her face.

Quinn took her hand away, standing up. "Goldie! I thought I hurt you!"

"Yeah!" Rachel breathed between laughing. "You... Should've seen you face... Priceless." The older woman narrowed her eyes at Rachel.

"Well." She turned to leave again. "I'm _so_ glad you got your sense of humour back." She turned her face away from Rachel, trying to hide her own smile she could feel creeping into her face. 

"Bitch please... I never lost it." 

"Fuck you Rachel." Quinn called over her shoulder.

The younger woman snorted, looking back at Quinn as she left, "gladly!" She called back, winking when Quinn paused, looking at her in shock. Another expression crossed Quinn's face that Rachel couldn't read, before she turned away, walking faster.

Rachel could feel eyes burning numerous holes in the back of her head, before she even turned to look at them. Completely ignoring them, she locked her eyes on the screens in front of her. "Rachel?!" Jay huffed, after getting bored of waiting for her to look at him.

"What?" Her voice was stern.

"What the fuck was that?"

"What the fuck was what?"

"That... Thing," he gestured wildly between her and the door Quinn had left through moments before. "With you and Quinn."

"What thing? There was no thing at all... Nothing." Rachel was yabbering, knowing that what she had said to Quinn was weird to anyone who didn't know they had spent at least six hours curled up in the same bed, breathing the same air. But that was as friends... Right? She was being comforting in a time when Rachel needed her.

"Uh... Yeah there was! I-"

"Leave it Jay."

Rachel could see him in her peripheral, his face became more concerned. "Hey Rachel, are you okay?"

"Wait... Are you talking about the bruises on my face or my arms? I get so confused."

"What happened?"

"Didn't you hear?" Madison leant forward, trying to be subtle so Rachel wouldn't hear her. "The new boss is a girlfriend beater."

Rachel rolled her eyes heavenwards, "Coleman did this to you?!"

"I swear to god." Rachel looked over at him, keeping her face blank of any expression. "If you say his name again, I'm going to stable your balls to your anus."

She turned her attention back the screens. "Rachel's back then." Madison whispered.

"Rachel's back." Jays voice was a singsong, as if he was glad. Rachel felt a smug smile creep it's way into her face. 

"Madison!" The young girl with stupidly long plaits was in front of her in seconds, scrambling about like bambi on ice. 

"Yes, Rach- I mean ma'am?"

"Get me another burrito. This ones cold now. Oh, and I want coffee too." 

"Yes, ma'a-"

"And _stop_ calling me ma'am!"

"Yes m- Rachel!" She scurried out. From the corner of her eye, she could see Jay silently shaking his head in disapproval; and despite everything that had happened during the last week, and the mixed emotions she was suddenly feeling towards Quinn, and having no fucking clue what was going to happen next, she felt some normalcy finally returning to her life. Or, what could be considered normal for Rachel's life, and she felt content.

 


End file.
